Applied Data Science
500 words
Critique of a Data Science Book and Selected Chapter
This assignment requires students to critically evaluate a selected data science book and a specific chapter from that book. Students must choose one book from the list provided in the assignment, read the preface or introduction to understand the intended audience, and then select a chapter that is relevant to their interests, existing knowledge and learning objectives. The available books cover a range of data science and analytical subjects, including practical time series analysis, machine learning with Python, Python-based data science, technical analysis, Bayesian statistics and artificial intelligence applications. The main purpose of the assignment is to develop the student's ability to engage critically with technical literature rather than simply summarising its content. The critique should identify the selected book and its intended audience, clearly state the chosen chapter and explain the reasons for selecting it. Students are expected to consider what they hoped to learn from the selected material and then critically assess whether the chapter achieved these objectives. The assessment should consider the clarity, usefulness and accessibility of the material, as well as the extent to which it contributes to the student's understanding of data science concepts. Students should also discuss additional knowledge they would like to gain from the book and identify particular aspects that were either helpful or less useful. This may include the quality of explanations, examples, technical depth, practical applications, organisation of material and relevance to the student's existing knowledge. The critique should demonstrate engagement with the selected chapter and provide reasoned observations rather than simply describing what the author has written. The final submission is a 500-word critique with a permitted variation of plus or minus 10 percent, meaning the expected range is approximately 450–550 words. The text must be written as a continuous narrative and should not use subheadings for the individual assessment points. The headline should follow the format “Critique of <book title> by <book author>”, with the student's name and student ID as the subtitle. The assignment assesses both technical presentation and content, including grammar, writing style, word count, completeness, breadth and depth of the book assessment, critical analysis and evidence of engagement with the selected material. Students must submit text that can be processed by Turnitin.
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Machine Learning and Deep Learning
2,000 words
Development and Evaluation of Deep Learning Models for Healthcare Classification
This individual technical assessment focuses on the design, development, analysis and evaluation of a deep learning solution for a healthcare-related classification problem. Students select one of two provided scenarios: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) detection using ultrasound images or heartbeat classification using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The objective is to develop an appropriate deep learning approach and demonstrate critical understanding of the complete machine learning workflow, from initial data exploration through to model evaluation and reflection. Students may either design and train a deep learning model from scratch or customise and fine-tune an existing pre-trained architecture. The complete work is presented through a single Jupyter Notebook integrating Python code, technical discussion, results and visualisations. The notebook must clearly define the selected healthcare problem, explain its significance, justify methodological and architectural choices, and critically evaluate the resulting solution. The first stage involves exploratory data analysis and preprocessing, including investigation of class distributions, data imbalance and relevant patterns. Students prepare the data through techniques such as normalisation, augmentation, train-validation-test splitting and appropriate handling of class imbalance. This is followed by model design, training, validation and hyperparameter tuning, with the architecture selected according to the characteristics of the data and classification task. Model performance must then be evaluated using appropriate classification measures, including precision, recall, F1-score, ROC curves and area under the curve (AUC). The developed model should also be compared against suitable benchmark approaches, which may include traditional machine learning algorithms or alternative deep learning architectures. This comparison should identify the relative strengths and limitations of the proposed solution. The final component requires clear visual presentation and critical reflection on the complete modelling process, including limitations, challenges and opportunities for improvement. Importantly, grading prioritises methodological rigour, analytical depth and critical evaluation rather than simply achieving the highest predictive accuracy. Overview word count: approximately 330 words. AI restriction: this brief only permits automated AI tools for spelling and grammar checking. It explicitly prohibits tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot from authoring assessment text or code; any permitted AI use must also be acknowledged.
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